A LANDSCAPE worker who is suffering from stage 4 cancer will join her colleagues this week for a coffee morning to raise money for charity.
Mother-of-two Lorna Cruickshank, who works as a customer care assistant in Scottish Woodlands' landscaping team, will attend the Macmillan Cancer Support event at the firm's Edinburgh head office on Thursday.
Lorna is facing her challenge for the second time after recovering from colon cancer in 2022. She now has secondary cancer of the peritoneum, the thin membrane which lines the abdomen.
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The 43-year-old said: “Unfortunately, it is now classed as stage 4 cancer. When I was first diagnosed in April 2022, I had surgery to remove a tumour in my colon. The surgery went well and they were sure they had removed all signs of cancer.
"I went through chemo after the surgery as a precaution, but one little cell must have escaped and started a party in my peritoneum! That was discovered when I went for my first follow-up scan in May 2023.”
Lorna started chemotherapy in July and is in the middle of nine rounds, until the end of October.
After a CT scan in November, she will discuss next steps with her oncologist.
She said: “The plan is that if the chemo has shrunk the nodules in my peritoneum enough, I will be referred to Basingstoke hospital (in Hampshire) for life-saving surgery.
"It‘s a very complex surgery called CRS/HIPEC which takes around 12 hours and involves applying hot chemotherapy directly into the abdomen.
"The surgery offers a 30 per cent chance of a full cure and I’m hoping to be in that statistic.”
Lorna, who is married to Lee and has two daughters, Anna, 18, and 15-year-old Hollie, said: “I am blessed to have the most wonderful network of family and friends and have received fantastic support from my colleagues at Scottish Woodlands.”
Lynne Macdonald, Scottish Woodlands HR manager, said: “We are really looking forward to seeing Lorna at the coffee morning, to give her all our very best wishes for a full recovery. She is going through a tremendously difficult time, but facing the challenge with grit and humour, and the full support of her family, friends, and colleagues behind her.”
To donate to the charity, visit SW's fundraising page.
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